The underpinning of this story is a familiar one: in the tough ghetto, one kid grows up to be a cop, the other a gangster. But this film is far more detailed, realistic, and disturbing than the Hell's Kitchen flicks of Hollywood's golden age. When children grow up in a neighborhood where crime is an accepted part of life, they are set up from the get-go, with an edge. When a crime is committed in the neighborhood, a complex set of loyalties must be adhered to. The police, left out of the loop, are of little use; then the locals are free to seek vengeance. The cop here, aided by his insider knowledge of the turf, is shown as very competent. And, like his counterparts from the old gangster films, he has an understanding of those who chose the other side of the law.